St. Paul daily globe., 1887-10-30
GORDON AT PORTSMOUTH. p
The Governor of Georgia Makes
Another Eloquent Speech.

AnOtHer fIOQuenU SpceCn.
PORTSMOUTH, o., Oct. 29.-A heavy
storm of rain broke upon the city which
interfered with the arrangements with
Gen. Gordon. The Democratic man
ayers had made arrangements to give
him a hearty reception, and, notwith-
standing the inclement weather. a large
audience greeted him. The general,
upon being introduced, referred to the
charge of being Ku-KluX made by
Republican, and denied it fully, assert
ing that he never at any time
following the war belonged to any Or
ganiZatian except one formed for the
maintenance of law and order, and that
he had not at any time been member
of any secret society. He then spoke of
the charges of SentimentalSm made by
the Commercial Gazette, and acknowl-
edged to the Impeachment. He argued
that ali men actuated by the desire to
promote their countryss Welfare we're
Sentimentalists. He then launched
out on the main address by the state
ment first, that he would speak only of
questions affecting the people of both
the North and South, and second, that
he desired to be questioned fully and
freely on any point upon which the
audience wished to be informed. He
then spoke of the reception of jeff
Davis, justifying it as in his speech at
Cincinnati last night. He then referred
to the subject of rebel flags used in the
Macon demonstration, and touchingly
described the love his people felt for
these war-stained banners and their de-
sire to behold them once more at their
reunions. He held that while there were
about a dozen of them unfurled, there
were at least $4,000 national flags dis
played. but that Northern correspond
ents of a partisan press were affected
with cOlOr-blindneSS and could not see
them. In referring to the late war, the
general said that at no time had the
South desired to destroy the union.
That she had furnished too much of
valor and territory and blood toward its
destroyed, that the war was only
the outgrOwth of construction of
the constitution, which differed from
that of the people of the North. The
sections he compared to two boys,
Johnnie and Yank,' who fell out over
matter that could not be peaceably ad-
justed and, Johnnie having gotten
the worst of the fight had been invited
back by 'Yank," that the invitation
was accepted and johnnie was back
to stay. In substantiation of this, he
coio tiltth tllC DCpDlC VI lilC oOutlt NOuNt
not have the verdict changed
if they could. He had ex-
pressed himself so at re-
unions of confederate soldiers and in
other places, and he but echoed the
sentiments of his cOuntrymen. The
light vote of his state in the presidential
election, he explained by stating that
the colored people, finding they had
been robbed by the carpet-bagger ele-
ment after the war, would no longer
affiliate with the Republican party in
! presidential elections and the mass of
them, not caring to vote with
the Democracy, had simply refrained
from voting at all. In temperance, fence
law and other questions of state inter-
est, he said the full vote of both colored
| and white people was cast without in
reference or restraint, and on the latter
question colored men had always carried
the state against the financial interests
of the whites: The general spoke at
some length Oh the condition of the col
Ored people of the South now, as COM
pared with that of the years following
the war, when they were governed by
tistics that the colored people
had increased in wealth three
fold under Democratic rule; that
their educationtial facilities, which
| were paid out of taxes collected from
the whites had increased over twenty
fold. and that they were as a people
prosperous, cOntented and fully pro
tected in all their rights. He con.
demned very severely the course of Ger
tain Northern Republicans in keeping
alive feeling of sectional ani.mOsity,
and charged that in such course lay
the greatest danger to our republic, and
closed with an exhortatiOn to the people
of all sections to forget the passions of
the past and unite in a commol purpose
to promote the prosperity and 'eXatt the
greatness of our country.